Independent agency The Hallway has hired Mat Rawnsley (middle of Photo), one of the country’s most experienced planners, as Strategy Director, in a move that further cements the agency’s data-driven approach to creativity.

With over twenty years experience, most recently at OMD Sydney where he was Group Strategy Head, Rawnsley has worked in both media and creative agencies, including three and a half years as Head of Media & Comms Planning at The Monkeys.

Rawnsley will lead the strategic thinking across The Hallway’s clients, which include Google, Disney, UNSW and NSW Government, as well as overseeing the agency’s programmatic and analytics offering.

The Hallway’s operating model, Create & Connect, fuses data and creativity to deliver measurable solutions for clients. With Rawnsley’s hybrid skillset and background, the agency will further evolve its focus on delivering targeted, contextual and impactful advertising and communications.

Rawnsley: “I’m excited about joining an entrepreneurial agency like The Hallway who really commit to delivering value to clients, with a focus on results, beyond single campaigns. I can see so many opportunities for us to redefine the role of agencies in the marketing lineup, as brands appreciate the power of working with a commercially minded team of creative and strategic thinkers who understand both audiences and channels”

Simon Lee (left of photo), ECD and Partner at The Hallway said of the hire, “We interviewed a lot of different candidates for this role, all of them with impressive credentials. But when we met Mat, we knew that he was the unicorn we were searching for. He understands data and communication planning, believes in creativity, embraces the commercial imperative for successful client relationships, and has fire in his belly. We are really excited to have him on the team”.

Lee says the Create & Connect model relies on building teams that understand and can work with data. “Increasingly data is the springboard for creativity and we have always believed the power is in elegantly combining the two without sacrificing quality. The real benefit of the Connect approach is our ability to deliver data-driven creative solutions faster, combined with the ability to optimise our work based on real-time insights.”

The Hallway was awarded B&T’s NSW Agency of the Year in 2016.